Already the subjects, discussed in the alleys of the fair did show, that there is a huge motivation in the market. More variation in future protein offers: pulses, new prepatations out of oil-seeds and perhaps more. No longer only talking about ancient grains, soy and spelt. More inspriration. But every inspiration has the question, where does reliable raw material come from? In basic nutrition we have the demand to get more and more agricultural products from nearby, “the region” as everybody clains but the realiity is ruled by other facts. Ans of cource the tendency to organic agriculture hould not lead us to a modern way of nutrition nationalism. We are part of a worldwide nutrition-network and part of worldwide markets.
But the dynamics of the german growth of an market now more that 8,6 billion euro gives further inspiration and new perspectives. and Biofach – even it claims to be a an international fair of organic world and in fact it is – but is also a strong mirror of the german organic sitaution and and wellbeeing of this fair is almost depending strongly of the german organic situation.
So this year we also saw a lot of new and smaller producers from germany with a lot of innovations which have been to easy to judge. Nearlky around every corner a new variation of raw-bars. But you never know which may-be the real potential of these new producers. But what we should also consider is the the fact that the real food-market in germany – like everywhere in Europe – is in a process of more and more concentration. That means, that all these small producers more or less have only poor opportunities to get into the national market.
So in a way Biofach also shows an illusion of offers, which will only achieve to get into very small parts. The real food-market is dominated by bigger players. Alnatura now delivering the first supermarket-chain Edeka nationwide, and also the typical german based organic bodies like Naturland and Bioland are looking more and more how to cooperate with bigger retail units to keep the influence in the market.
But for all of them is also the vital question: who has the organic raw-material to fulfil the new demand? Where are the new trustful sources in Germany, in Europe und in other countries? Who can garantee, that it is coming from reliable origins, that the output is unspoiled, that the chemical analysis will show proper results and that everything is according the need of a really healthy nutrition? We also saw more raw-material specialist on the fair and amoung the exhibitors and visitors. So that will be a vital future question.